The Power of Touch

Greg & Heidi with a Feel Good Story of the Day. "The Rescuing Hug Story."   Copied from 96.1 WSRS facebook page
This is an amazing story of twin baby girls. One baby was not expected to live. A hospital nurse fought to put them in the same incubator. The stronger baby wrapped her arm around her sister, and her touch allowed the struggling baby's heart to stabilize and her temperature to return to normal.  

I recently visited a friend who had had a fall and hurt her arm. She had a wrist support on and I asked to have a look at it. It was swollen and tender to touch, so I asked her if I could rub some Lavender oil into it. As I was massaging her, I felt her relax and she said “that feels so nice”.

Touch is a connection between two people in which
• Enables our bodies to relax
• Releases happy endorphins into the body
• Makes a person feel accepted and cared for.

Most of us enjoy touch but busy lives, living alone or lack of disposable income make touch out of reach.... Here's how you can bring it back in.

• Giving a hug to greet a friend
• Rubbing a sore neck to release tension
• Cuddle your child while reading them a story
• Set up a date night with your partner and massage each other
• Stroking your cat or a pet
• Holding a hand when someone is upset

Anyone can touch or massage. We instinctively know how to do it. However some basic training can give you some specific effective techniques and also help you to feel more confident when working with another person’s body. Techniques like:

• How to cover and uncover the body
• Questions to ask to find out what the recipient really likes (otherwise they won’t let you massage them again)
• Knowing what oils or waxes to use
• Different types of touch, pressure and massage movements
• Having safe boundaries.

The best way to begin is with a simple hand or foot massage. It is non-invasive and helps build a trusting relationship between you both. Use a little bit of oil or talcum powder and play with different types of touch. Have fun with it, and share how it feels. Give yourself time to get confident and choose a person who enjoys receiving massage to start with.

Later, you can build up to an arm or a leg, neck and shoulders or head. If you find massage is what you like to do, you could read books on massage or do a course to get some effective techniques.

If you want to learn how to massage why not come on a course? Click here for more information.

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